. | . |
US Bill Seeks Anti-Missile Technology On New Airbus A380
Washington DC (AFP) Jun 15, 2005 A new bill presented Tuesday in Congress calls on the US Federal Aviation Administration to insist that European aircraft manufacturer Airbus provide anti-missile technology in its new supercarrier A380s. "When you launch a new aircraft that can carry the population of a small village it must require - at a minimum - a missile defense system as standard operating equipment," states the text of the bill, presented by Republican lawmaker from Florida, John Mica who heads the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Mica wants protection from surface-to-air missiles for the new aircraft, which he views as a "potentially irresistible terrorist target." "It is just plain common sense that an aircraft such as the Airbus A380, which has the capacity to carry as many as 800 people -- nearly double the number of passengers that aircraft to date have been able to accommodate, is a potentially irresistible terrorist target," states his bill. "We know that terrorists, particularly al-Qaeda, are looking for the means to cause the greatest destruction, largest number of casualties, and to bring the world economy to a standstill. "Moreover, we know that terrorists continue to consider commercial aviation an attractive target because of the public spectacle such attacks generate and because the world economy is increasingly dependent upon aviation." Singapore Airlines is likely to become the first company to make a commercial flight on an A380, in late 2006. Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Kinetic Energy Interceptor Successfully Completes First Wind Tunnel Test Tucson AZ (SPX) Jun 15, 2005 Raytheon recently completed the first in a series of risk-reduction high speed wind tunnel tests of the Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI) missile in preparation for future flight testing. |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |